The Ohio beatmaker behind Definitive Jux's Deadringer and the Mad Men theme, RJD2 has spent two decades refusing to sit still stylistically.
MOODS · cinematic · boom-bap · sample-driven · jazzy · laidback · instrumental hip-hop
BIOGRAPHY
RJD2 (Ramble John Krohn, b. 1976) was born in Eugene, Oregon and raised in Columbus, Ohio, where he cut his teeth DJing for the rap group MHz before releasing his self-styled mix CD Your Face or Your Kneecaps on Bobbito Garcia's Fondle 'Em label in 2001. He broke through the following year with his solo debut Deadringer on El-P's Definitive Jux, an acclaimed set of cinematic, sample-based instrumental hip-hop.
He went on to form Soul Position with fellow Columbus rapper Blueprint, release Since We Last Spoke and The Third Hand as a solo artist, and team with Aceyalone for Magnificent City, whose track "A Beautiful Mine" became the theme song for AMC's Mad Men. He runs his own label, RJ's Electrical Connections, and now lives in Philadelphia.
WHY THEY'RE COOL
RJD2 built a reputation as a producer who refuses to be boxed in, moving fluidly between underground hip-hop, jazz-inflected sampling, and cinematic soul across a catalog that spans Definitive Jux, XL Recordings, Rhymesayers, and his own imprint. His 2002 debut Deadringer earned an 88/100 from Pitchfork and later landed on Fact's list of the 100 best indie hip-hop records, while Spin named it among 2002's best albums. Beyond acclaim, his music has crossed into wider culture: "A Beautiful Mine," made with Aceyalone, became the title theme of Mad Men, and later albums like The Fun Ones were praised for revisiting his turntablist roots with fresh warmth.
GEORGE'S PLAYS
George has played this artist 2 times.
PLAYED ON WOKE1
